Council hears MnDOT estimates for Highway 59 South project; decision deferred to March 31

Tom Pace of MnDOT Region 4 told the Pelican Rapids City Council on March 10 that updated construction estimates for the Highway 59 South improvement package sum to about $800,000 for the three proposed phases. He said phase 1 (west-side 6‑ft sidewalk) is approximately $400,000, phase 2 (east-side concrete trail) about $200,000, and phase 3 roughly $175,000.

Pace said the city already has an $860,000 Transportation Alternatives (TA) allocation tied to the original application but that MnDOT requires a 20 percent local match. “So, if you did all three phases, 20 percent of $800,000 — approximately $170,000 — would be the city’s share,” Pace said. He added the agency needs the council to indicate which phase or combination of phases it wants included so MnDOT can proceed with design, environmental review and right‑of‑way work.

Council members asked about ADA compliance, crosswalks and separation between the new path and traffic. Pace said some ADA items are optional under the project’s permits and that MnDOT will include typical sections in the design package; he also confirmed crosswalks would be placed in the 30‑mph zone and that the east‑side work would convert an asphalt frontage path to concrete.

Pace stressed that selecting phases promptly is important to keep the November 2027 TA funding schedule. He said final bids could vary from estimates and that signing a resolution to participate in specific phase(s) effectively commits the city to its local match and design costs. MnDOT will return to the March 31 council meeting with discrete resolutions for the council to vote on which phases it will accept.

Next steps: MnDOT will bring phase-specific resolutions and refined cost-share estimates to the council at the March 31 meeting; the council must decide which phase(s) it will include to finalize design and move toward bidding.